Randy SavoieAlberta Golden Bears
The two-time defending national champion Alberta Golden Bears didn’t have an easy road to the Canada West final four, using a furious late season push to snatch second place in the conference, and a first-round bye. They enter the playoffs with momentum however, and also boast the best team numbers in Canada West, leading the conference in goals scored, while also giving up the fewest. They’ll match up with the Mount Royal Cougars, in what should be an entertaining series featuring two teams that play very similar, fast-paced styles. Look for the Bears to rely on their balanced offensive attack and solid goaltending from Luke Siemens to give them an advantage in the series.
Saskatchewan Huskies
The top dogs in both Canada West and CIS this year, the Huskies had a dominating year to say the least. Boasting a 22-6 record during the regular season, and comfortably securing the first overall seed in the conference, the Huskies now match up against the underdog Calgary Dinos, who failed to finish above .500 in the regular season. The Huskies are led by youth, as their top three scorers, Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable, and Andrew Johnson all competed in their first full CIS seasons this year, and finished first, second and third in the rookie scoring race respectively.
Mount Royal Cougars
The Cougars are appearing in their second straight Canada West final four, after a convincing quarterfinal victory against the UBC Thunderbirds, in which they won both of their games by a 7-3 score. They’ll look to be more successful than last year when they lost out to their crosstown rivals the Calgary Dinos in a hard-fought three game series, but will be in tough against a Golden Bears team that is entering the playoffs with some serious confidence, having knocked the Cougars out of second place in the last weekend of the season. Don’t count the Cougars out however, they have some serious scoring threats up front, and get solid goaltending night in and night out from Colin Cooper.
Calgary Dinos
After a 20-8 season and Canada West finals birth last year, the Dinos enter this year’s final four as the clear underdog, posting a modest 12-16 record in the regular season. Credit to the Dinos however, as they defeated a tough Manitoba Bisons squad in their quarterfinal to earn a spot in the final four. They’ll have their hands full in their semifinal against the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies though, and if the regular season is any indication, it could be a quick exit for the Dinos. In four regular season games against the Huskies, the Dinos went 0-4, while giving up 19 goals in the process. They’ll have to be better defensively if they’re to have any chance of upsetting the nation’s top team.
Prediction
On paper, there should be one closely contested series, and one blowout. On one side, the Bears and Cougars are two very evenly matched teams, but look for the Bears to win a close series on the strength of their balanced scoring attack and solid d-core. On the other side, the Dinos simply don’t measure up to the Huskies, and it shouldn’t take anything less than a miracle to see Saskatchewan advance easily. Look for the top two teams in Canada West to renew hostilities in the conference finals.
